"Miss Su, let's go back now. We've had enough fun tonight, and we've had a great time."
Although Nangong Qing didn't want Su Luo to go back so early, he couldn't force them to stay, as Zhao Ruyun was still waiting for them at home.
Back in Changping Village, the two children happily went to find Zhao Ruyun.
"Grandma, Grandma, look, my brother and I brought you lanterns."
Yan Chuan and Yi Huan ran up to Zhao Ruyun and handed her the colorful lanterns they were holding.
"Okay, okay... I've boiled some hot water for you. Go wash your faces and soak your feet."
"Thank you, Grandma... I love soaking my feet, hehe..."
Yi Huan and Yan Chuan ran hand in hand into the courtyard with a big smile.
Since learning that Chen Huaixu was truly dead, Zhao Ruyun has hardly smiled in the past few days.
"Auntie, it's cold outside, let me help you inside."
Xie Wanwan helped Zhao Ruyun up and walked back. When they reached the gate, Zhao Ruyun stopped, turned around and glanced at Su Luo meaningfully.
Su Luo was behind, still wearing Nangong Qing's cloak.
It wouldn't be good for others to see Su Luo with two men late at night.
"Nangong Qing, A Xu, you two should go back early too. If anything happens at Fu Man Lou, remember to send someone to let me know."
I'll probably be busy with the soy sauce business in Changping Village lately, so I'll leave Fumanlou to the two of you to manage."
Ah Xu hugged the sword to his chest and said proudly, "Don't worry, with me, Ah Xu, at Fu Man Lou, it won't fall."
"Alright! Be careful on your journey, I'm heading back now."
Seeing that Su Luo was about to leave, Nangong Qing quickly called her back.
“Su Luo, Steward Shi and the others will arrive in Yongle County in two days. I will bring them directly to you then.”
Su Luo nodded and took off Nangong Qing's cloak from her clothes and gave it to him.
"Okay, see you in two days. I'm home now. Take this cloak and go back quickly."
Seeing that Xie Wanwan and her mother-in-law were still waiting for her, Su Luo smiled and took Zhao Ruyun's other arm.
"Mother-in-law, it's cold tonight, so you should get some rest. Tomorrow I'll go to Shuiqing Village and call my aunt over so she can keep you company."
These days, Zhao Chunlan often comes to comfort Zhao Ruyun, but yesterday she went back to Shuiqingzhuang.
Zhao Ruyun suddenly felt ten years older; it seemed Su Luo needed to find someone to take care of her.
"Forget it, Luo Luo. Your aunt has her own life. Don't always bother her. I'm old and can't sleep at night, so I'll just wait here for you to come back."
Sensing Zhao Ruyun's loneliness, Su Luo was speechless.
Zhao Ruyun probably knew that if she kept Su Luo at home with her, the family would have no income, so she didn't say anything.
"Alright, Grandma, it'll be time to raise rice seedlings again soon, and the rapeseed flowers in Shuiqing Village will also need to be harvested. You can't let yourself get cold."
As long as things are busy in the fields, Zhao Ruyun won't overthink things.
...
The next morning, Su Luo arrived at the soy sauce factory. Chen Ping'an and Wang Tiezhu's father hadn't slept all night.
These past two days have been crucial for making soy sauce, and since it's their first time making it, they're so nervous they're afraid to sleep.
"Su Luo, look at these winnowing baskets. Today is the sixth day."
The soy sauce wasn't made by just the managers and a few others; other villagers were involved as well. The process involved multiple steps, and it couldn't be completed in one batch.
Su Luo looked at the first batch; the soybeans had turned black. She picked up a soybean with her hand.
If you crush it and bring it close to your nose, you can already smell a hint of soy sauce.
"The fermentation is going very well; now it's time for brewing."
Hearing Su Luo confirm the success, Chen Ping'an and Wang Dehou were relieved to come, and their hard work of guarding the place all night was worthwhile.
"Uncle, you guys stayed up all night, didn't you? You can't do that again next time. We make soy sauce, as long as the temperature is controlled well, there usually won't be any major problems."
The two nodded quickly. They could stay up all night, but they couldn't keep doing it every night.
"Alright, alright, then Yan Chuan's mother, what should we do next?" Wang Tiezhu's father, Wang Dehou, asked.
"I'll demonstrate for you, and you'll understand it at a glance."
Su Luo put the fermented soybeans into a vat, layering them with salt according to the ratio, and then splashing water on top.
"Uncle, Uncle Wang, the brewing of soy sauce involves alternating the filling of the vat with salt, and the top layer must be salt."
Then cover the jar with the lid and seal it with kraft paper.
I'll calculate a more precise ratio of soybeans to salt for you.
Su Luo had initially thought this soy sauce vat could only hold eighty catties of soybeans, but when it was actually filled, it held twenty catties more than expected.
"Uncle, put 100 catties of fermented soybeans, 30 catties of salt, and 40 catties of water in a vat. Sprinkle this ratio in a vat. Even if you don't sprinkle it evenly, you won't make a mistake."
Chen Ping'an and the others wouldn't understand if he said it in grams or kilograms, so Su Luo just told them in kilograms.
Only if they understand can the soy sauce factory continue to operate.
"Su Luo, is it okay as long as I do as you say?"
"Yes, we must follow this ratio. The soy sauce we make must taste consistent so that we can go further in the market."
The two nodded and chuckled, following behind Su Luo as they continued brewing.
It took from morning till dusk to finally transfer the first batch of soy sauce into the vat for brewing.
Su Luo dared not entrust the first batch of tasks to others, and had to teach Chen Ping'an and the others at the same time, which slowed down her explanations and actions considerably.
The village chief couldn't miss a single step Su Luo mentioned, so he took notes on paper.
But he wrote too slowly and couldn't keep up with what Su Luo was saying, so after Su Luo finished speaking, he wrote it down again with his pen.
"Chen Ping'an, Wang Dehou, you two haven't slept all night, go back to sleep first, I'll keep watch here tonight."
After Su Luo finished teaching, the village chief sent the two of them back to rest.
"Village chief, I'm not sleepy at all today making soy sauce. It's not even dark yet, and you're already telling us to go to sleep? Isn't that a bit too early?"
Wang Dehou didn't want to go back yet; he wanted to ask Su Luo about what would happen next.
"No, people will die if they don't sleep. You have to go back."
From a medical perspective, if you don't want to sleep after staying up late, it means your brain is in an excited state, but your body can't handle it.
“Uncle Wang, you should go back first. The first batch of soy sauce brewing is complete. It’s placed in this drying yard to let it slowly extract the oil. It will take about three months before it’s truly successful.”
It's mid-January now, and the soy sauce will be officially available for sale in April.
"But, this..."
"Go back now. Even if you're quick, you'll only need to stir them once a month. The longer the time, the more often you'll need to stir them."
"With the village chief and I here, you can rest assured and get some rest. We'll continue brewing tomorrow. If you don't go back now, we won't let you work tomorrow."
Since Su Luo had already said all that, Chen Ping'an and Wang Dehou finally packed up and went home.
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